Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the launch of a new edition of the Arab Hope Makers initiative, a pan-Arab project aimed at honouring and celebrating individuals who are making a tangible difference in their communities across the Arab world.
In a tweet shared on his X account, Sheikh Mohammed stressed that hope can to transform societies. “Human beings live with hope, and societies are built on the power of hope. The greatest challenges become easier when faced with genuine hope. While some spread despair and frustration in our region, we spread optimism and hope.
“In every village and city, there are individuals who dedicate themselves to creating hope in their communities, spreading goodness in their countries, and helping those around them.”
“We seek them out to honour them, to appreciate them, and to create role models for all,” the UAE Vice President said. “Today, we are launching a new edition of Arab Hope Makers. We will search for them in every community, in every village and neighbourhood to celebrate and empower them.
“Those who believe in the goodness within themselves can nominate themselves or others at http://arabhopemakers.com. We pray to Allah Almighty to guide us in spreading optimism, positivity, and hope for a brighter future in our region, which has faced so many challenges,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
Arab Hope Makers is the largest initiative of its kind to honour individuals and institutions in the Arab world with philanthropic efforts that seek to improve lives. The initiative celebrates humanitarian projects that address challenges facing communities across different fields, help alleviate the suffering of those in need and empower marginalized groups. It highlights Hope Makers who devote their time and efforts to drive positive change in communities without seeking personal gains or recognition in return.
The Arab Hope Makers initiative was launched in 2017 under the umbrella of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, a UAE-based foundation that combines wide-ranging humanitarian, social, development and empowerment entities and programmes.
It implements the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to encourage Arab youth to spread hope, fight despair and pessimism, and actively take part in shaping their future.
Through highlighting inspiring stories of the Arab World’s unsung heroes, the Arab Hope Makers initiative aims to support their humanitarian, relief and community development programmes and campaigns. The initiative is open to self-nominations or public nominations for Arab individuals, volunteering groups or non-profit organizations in any part of the world.
Five finalists are selected after several evaluation stages and field visits that assess the impact and scope of their social humanitarian initiatives. Each of the finalists are celebrated in a grand ceremony in Dubai before they take home Dh1 million to support their humanitarian endeavours.
